Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management / Kevin R. Roberts / Ethnic foods have gained in popularity and have become mainstream in the diet of most Americans. However, researchers have noted that ethnic food, specifically food served in ethnic restaurants, has been associated with foodborne outbreaks. Little has been done using the Social Cognitive Theory to predict food safety behaviors, especially in independent ethnic restaurants. The purpose of this study was to determine whether self-efficacy, self-regulation, outcome expectations, and environmental determinants are predictive of self-reported food safety behaviors in independent ethnic restaurants. Utilizing a thorough literature review and results of five focus group and group interviews, a questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was translated to Chinese and Spanish and back-translated to English to ensure consistency. After pilot-testing, a multistage random sampling technique was utilized to collect data, targeting a total of 150 food handlers from independent Mexican and Chinese restaurants. A total of 204 food handlers responded, but due to incomplete data or responses from non-food handlers, 201 responses were usable for a response rate of 80.4%. A multiple regression analysis investigated the prediction of food safety behavioral intentions based on the respondents’ self-efficacy, self-regulation, outcome expectations, and environmental determinants and found the model was significant (F = 75.246, p = 0.002). The significant independent variables in the model were self-regulation (β = 0.467, p = 0.001), environmental determinants (β = 0.181, p = 0.011), and outcome expectations (β = 0.152, p = 0.018), which explained about 60.6 % of the variance in food safety behavioral intentions. Self-efficacy was not significant (β = 0.078, p = 0.219). A mediation analysis showed that behavioral intentions are a significant mediator of the relationships between self-efficacy and self-reported food safety behaviors (b = 0.24, CI [0.161, 0.336], self-regulation and self-reported food safety behaviors (b = 0.252, CI [0.155, 0.366]), outcome expectations and self-reported food safety behaviors (b = 0.355, CI [0.247, 0.469]), and environmental determinants and self-reported food safety behaviors (b = 0.269, CI [0.172, 0.393]). Implications, limitations, and direction for future research were discussed.

Este estudo teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta para avaliar estruturas físicas, leiaute e materiais de construção de cozinhas industriais. Na primeira etapa do trabalho, diversas legislações sanitárias e documentos técnicos foram avaliados, a fim de identificar itens pertinentes à construção da ferramenta. Com base nisso, foram elaboradas 196 perguntas, divididas em 24 itens, as quais compuseram a ferramenta de avaliação de estruturas (check-list). O check-list foi encaminhado para especialistas da área de segurança de alimentos, para que estes verificassem a adequação das perguntas e conferissem pesos para cada uma delas, conforme a possibilidade na contaminação e o impacto na segurança dos alimentos. O peso 1 (um) foi atribuído aos itens da estrutura física das cozinhas, que poderiam causar impacto na segurança de alimentos, porém que dificilmente resultariam em contaminação dos alimentos ou causariam surtos alimentares, como, por exemplo, as áreas externas, portas externas e fechamento automático de portas de sanitários. O peso 2 (dois) foi atribuído às perguntas sobre a estrutura física da cozinha que poderiam causar contaminação indireta nos alimentos, exemplos: portas internas ajustadas aos pisos e batentes, caixas de gordura e de esgoto compatíveis ao volume de resíduos, entre outros. O peso 4 (quatro) foi atribuído às questões sobre a estrutura física das cozinhas que poderiam causar contaminação direta aos alimentos, como, por exemplo, estrutura dos telhados e tetos, áreas de produção com fluxo linear, entre outras Após a revisão do check-list, foram retiradas as perguntas que não foram consideradas pertinentes ao setor de alimentação e então foi calculado um peso médio para cada pergunta, tendo como base os pesos atribuídos por cada avaliador. A versão final do check-list resultou em 23 itens, compostos por 126 perguntas. Na segunda etapa do trabalho, foi realizada a utilização prática do check-list com o objetivo de testar a aplicação da ferramenta de avaliação e identificar os problemas mais frequentes na construção civil de cozinhas industriais. Para tanto, as cozinhas industriais existentes na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre/RS (RMPA) foram consideradas e identificadas como o universo da pesquisa, possibilitando a visita a um número significativo de cozinhas industriais. O número de cozinhas identificado na RMPA foi de 248 unidades, das quais 52 foram visitadas. Para avaliar cada unidade visitada com relação à adequação sanitária de suas instalações, foi elaborado o Índice Sanitário de Edificações (ISE). O ISE é uma média harmônica ponderada dos itens aplicáveis, a qual leva em consideração os pesos conferidos a cada pergunta e se o item foi conforme ou não. As respostas do check-list foram analisadas no Microsoft Excel 2010 e a análise estatística foi realizada no programa IBM® SPSS® STATISTICS versão 18.0, adotando o nível de significância de 5% As principais não conformidades observadas foram infiltrações, goteiras, tubulações sem capacidade para vazão adequada, pias e sifões entupidos, pouca quantidade de ralos, caimento dos pisos, caixa de gordura, pouca luminosidade, ventilação e conforto térmico. Do total de unidades avaliadas, 1 (2%) apresentou índice de adequação excelente, 14 (27%) índice de adequação bom, 32 (61%) índice de adequação médio e 5 (10%) índice de adequação ruim. Além do índice de adequação ao check-list, foi calculado um índice de adequação aos itens requeridos por legislação. O volume de empresas que apresentaram índices entre os níveis de adequação excelente e bom aumentou quando comparado ao índice de adequação ao chek-list, passando para 4 (8%) com índice excelente, 27 (51%) com índice bom, 20 (39%) com índice médio e 1 (2%) com índice ruim. Os resultados indicam que as cozinhas industriais apresentaram inadequações em suas instalações, já que em sua maioria apresentaram índices medianos ou inferiores de adequação aos itens da legislação e ao ISE. Cozinhas com estas falhas nas instalações podem ter prejudicadas suas condições higiênico- sanitárias do processo, trazendo riscos potenciais para a produção de alimentos. Com a identificação dos problemas nas edificações e leiutes, pôde- se indicar soluções para contribuir na gestão de segurança dos alimentos em serviços de alimentação, prevenindo a contaminação de alimentos. / This study aimed to develop a tool to evaluate physical structures, layout and materials of industrial kitchens. In the first stage of the work, several sanitary legislations and technical documents were evaluated in order to identify items pertinent to the construction of the tool. Based on this, check-list tool were elaborated containing196 questions, divided into 24 items. The checklist was assessed to food safety experts to verify the appropriateness of the questions and to check weights for each one, depending on the possibility of contamination and impact on food safety. Weight 1 (one) was attributed to the items in the kitchen's physical structure, which could impact on food safety, but would hardly result in contamination of food or food outbreaks, such as external areas, external doors and automatic door closing of toilets. Weight 2 (two) was attributed to the questions about the physical structure of the kitchen that could cause indirect contamination in the food, some examples: internal doors adjusted to the floors and stops, fat and sewage boxes compatible with the volume of waste. Weight 4 (four) was attributed to questions about the physical structure of the kitchen that could cause direct contamination of food, such as the structure of roofs and ceilings, production areas with linear flow. After reviewing the checklist, the questions that were not considered pertinent to the food sector were removed, and then an average weight was calculated for each question, based on the weights assigned by each evaluator The final version of the checklist resulted in 23 items consisting of 126 questions. In the second stage of the work, the practical check-list was used, with the objective of testing the application of the evaluation tool and identifying the most frequent problems in the civil construction of industrial kitchens. To this end, the industrial kitchens in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre / RS (RMPA) were considered and identified as the research universe, allowing the visit of a significant number of industrial kitchens. The number of kitchens identified in the RMPA was 248 units, of which 52 were visited. To evaluate each unit visited in relation to the sanitary adequacy of its facilities, the Sanitary Building Index (ISE) was elaborated. The ISE is a weighted harmonic mean of the applicable items, which takes into account the weights given to each question and whether or not the item was compliant. The checklist responses were analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2010 and statistical analyzes were performed using the IBM® SPSS® STATISTICS version 18.0 program, adopting the 5% significance level. The main nonconformities observed were infiltrations, gutters, pipes with no adequate flow capacity, clogged sinks and siphons, few drains, floor trim, grease box, low luminosity, ventilation and thermal comfort Of the total number of units evaluated, 1 (2%) presented an excellent suitability index, 14 (27%) were adequately matched, 32 (61%) were adequately matched, and 5 were considered adequately matched. In addition to the index of adequacy to the checklist, an index of adequacy to the items required by legislation was calculated. The volume of companies that presented excellent and good levels of adequacy increased when compared to the index of adequacy to the former chek-list, passing to 4 (8%) with excellent index, 27 (51%) with good index, 20 (39 %) with average index and 1 (2%) with poor index. The results indicate that the industrial kitchens presented inadequacies in their facilities, since in their majority they presented medium or inferior indexes of adequacy to the items of the legislation and the ISE. Kitchens with these facility failures may have impaired their hygienic-sanitary conditions of the process, bringing potential risks to food production. With the identification of problems in buildings and law, it was possible to indicate solutions to contribute to the management of food safety in food services, preventing the contamination of food.

The consumption of unsafe fresh vegetables has been linked to an increasing number of outbreaks of human infections. In Lebanon, although raw vegetables are major constituents of the national cuisine, studies on the safety of fresh produce are scant. This research employed a holistic approach to identify the different stages of the food chain that contribute to the microbiological risks on fresh produce and the spreading of hazards. A thorough analysis of the institutional and regulatory framework and the socio-political environment showed that the safety of local fresh produce in Lebanon is at risk due to largely unregulated practices and shortfalls in supporting the agricultural environment as influenced by the lack of a political commitment. Microbiological analysis showed that the faecal indicator levels ranged from < 0.7 to 7 log CFU/g (Escherichia coli), 1.69-8.16 log CFU/g (total coliforms) and followed a significantly increasing trend from fields to the post-harvest washing area. At washing areas, Salmonella was detected on lettuce (6.7% of raw vegetables from post-harvest washing areas). This suggested that post-harvest cross-contamination occurs predominantly in the washing stage. At retails, a combination of observation and self-reported data provided an effective tool in assessing knowledge, attitudes and practices. It showed that the food safety knowledge and sanitation practices of food handlers were inadequate, even among the better trained in corporate-managed SMEs. Overall, the microbiological quality of fresh-cut salad vegetables in SMEs was unsatisfactory. The link between Staphylococcus aureus and microorganism levels on fresh salads vegetables and the overall inspection scores could not be established. On the other hand, inspection ratings on individual components, e.g., cleanliness and cross-contamination preventive measures showed significant correlation with Listeria spp. levels. Together, results confirmed that inspection ratings don’t necessary reflect the microbiological safety of fresh vegetables and that the application of control points of risk factors that likely to contribute to microbial contamination in the production environment are essential. The washing methods were limited in their effectiveness to reduce the contamination of parsley with Salmonella. In general, the pre-wash chopping and storing of parsley at 30ºC reduced the decontamination effect of all solutions, including sodium dichloroisocyanurate which was reduced by 1.3 log CFU/g on both intact and chopped leaves stored at 30ºC. In such conditions, the transfer rate of Salmonella from one contaminated parsley to subsequently chopped clean batches on the same cutting board(CB) recorded 60%-64%. Furthermore, the transmission of Salmonella persisted via washed CBs stored at 30°C for 24 h. It is recommended to keep parsley leaves unchopped and stored at 5ºC until wash for an optimum decontamination effect and to apply vigilant sanitation of CBs after use with fresh produce. This research presented important data for quantitative risk assessment for Salmonella in parsley and useful descriptive information to inform decision-makers and educators on microbial hazards associated with fresh produce in Lebanon. It also highlighted the risks areas that require urgent interventions to improve food safety. Considering the complex institutional and political challenges in Lebanon, there is an obvious need to direct development programs and support towards local agriculture production, effective education strategies and growing awareness of consumers and stakeholders on food safety related risks.

Este estudo teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta para avaliar estruturas físicas, leiaute e materiais de construção de cozinhas industriais. Na primeira etapa do trabalho, diversas legislações sanitárias e documentos técnicos foram avaliados, a fim de identificar itens pertinentes à construção da ferramenta. Com base nisso, foram elaboradas 196 perguntas, divididas em 24 itens, as quais compuseram a ferramenta de avaliação de estruturas (check-list). O check-list foi encaminhado para especialistas da área de segurança de alimentos, para que estes verificassem a adequação das perguntas e conferissem pesos para cada uma delas, conforme a possibilidade na contaminação e o impacto na segurança dos alimentos. O peso 1 (um) foi atribuído aos itens da estrutura física das cozinhas, que poderiam causar impacto na segurança de alimentos, porém que dificilmente resultariam em contaminação dos alimentos ou causariam surtos alimentares, como, por exemplo, as áreas externas, portas externas e fechamento automático de portas de sanitários. O peso 2 (dois) foi atribuído às perguntas sobre a estrutura física da cozinha que poderiam causar contaminação indireta nos alimentos, exemplos: portas internas ajustadas aos pisos e batentes, caixas de gordura e de esgoto compatíveis ao volume de resíduos, entre outros. O peso 4 (quatro) foi atribuído às questões sobre a estrutura física das cozinhas que poderiam causar contaminação direta aos alimentos, como, por exemplo, estrutura dos telhados e tetos, áreas de produção com fluxo linear, entre outras Após a revisão do check-list, foram retiradas as perguntas que não foram consideradas pertinentes ao setor de alimentação e então foi calculado um peso médio para cada pergunta, tendo como base os pesos atribuídos por cada avaliador. A versão final do check-list resultou em 23 itens, compostos por 126 perguntas. Na segunda etapa do trabalho, foi realizada a utilização prática do check-list com o objetivo de testar a aplicação da ferramenta de avaliação e identificar os problemas mais frequentes na construção civil de cozinhas industriais. Para tanto, as cozinhas industriais existentes na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre/RS (RMPA) foram consideradas e identificadas como o universo da pesquisa, possibilitando a visita a um número significativo de cozinhas industriais. O número de cozinhas identificado na RMPA foi de 248 unidades, das quais 52 foram visitadas. Para avaliar cada unidade visitada com relação à adequação sanitária de suas instalações, foi elaborado o Índice Sanitário de Edificações (ISE). O ISE é uma média harmônica ponderada dos itens aplicáveis, a qual leva em consideração os pesos conferidos a cada pergunta e se o item foi conforme ou não. As respostas do check-list foram analisadas no Microsoft Excel 2010 e a análise estatística foi realizada no programa IBM® SPSS® STATISTICS versão 18.0, adotando o nível de significância de 5% As principais não conformidades observadas foram infiltrações, goteiras, tubulações sem capacidade para vazão adequada, pias e sifões entupidos, pouca quantidade de ralos, caimento dos pisos, caixa de gordura, pouca luminosidade, ventilação e conforto térmico. Do total de unidades avaliadas, 1 (2%) apresentou índice de adequação excelente, 14 (27%) índice de adequação bom, 32 (61%) índice de adequação médio e 5 (10%) índice de adequação ruim. Além do índice de adequação ao check-list, foi calculado um índice de adequação aos itens requeridos por legislação. O volume de empresas que apresentaram índices entre os níveis de adequação excelente e bom aumentou quando comparado ao índice de adequação ao chek-list, passando para 4 (8%) com índice excelente, 27 (51%) com índice bom, 20 (39%) com índice médio e 1 (2%) com índice ruim. Os resultados indicam que as cozinhas industriais apresentaram inadequações em suas instalações, já que em sua maioria apresentaram índices medianos ou inferiores de adequação aos itens da legislação e ao ISE. Cozinhas com estas falhas nas instalações podem ter prejudicadas suas condições higiênico- sanitárias do processo, trazendo riscos potenciais para a produção de alimentos. Com a identificação dos problemas nas edificações e leiutes, pôde- se indicar soluções para contribuir na gestão de segurança dos alimentos em serviços de alimentação, prevenindo a contaminação de alimentos. / This study aimed to develop a tool to evaluate physical structures, layout and materials of industrial kitchens. In the first stage of the work, several sanitary legislations and technical documents were evaluated in order to identify items pertinent to the construction of the tool. Based on this, check-list tool were elaborated containing196 questions, divided into 24 items. The checklist was assessed to food safety experts to verify the appropriateness of the questions and to check weights for each one, depending on the possibility of contamination and impact on food safety. Weight 1 (one) was attributed to the items in the kitchen's physical structure, which could impact on food safety, but would hardly result in contamination of food or food outbreaks, such as external areas, external doors and automatic door closing of toilets. Weight 2 (two) was attributed to the questions about the physical structure of the kitchen that could cause indirect contamination in the food, some examples: internal doors adjusted to the floors and stops, fat and sewage boxes compatible with the volume of waste. Weight 4 (four) was attributed to questions about the physical structure of the kitchen that could cause direct contamination of food, such as the structure of roofs and ceilings, production areas with linear flow. After reviewing the checklist, the questions that were not considered pertinent to the food sector were removed, and then an average weight was calculated for each question, based on the weights assigned by each evaluator The final version of the checklist resulted in 23 items consisting of 126 questions. In the second stage of the work, the practical check-list was used, with the objective of testing the application of the evaluation tool and identifying the most frequent problems in the civil construction of industrial kitchens. To this end, the industrial kitchens in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre / RS (RMPA) were considered and identified as the research universe, allowing the visit of a significant number of industrial kitchens. The number of kitchens identified in the RMPA was 248 units, of which 52 were visited. To evaluate each unit visited in relation to the sanitary adequacy of its facilities, the Sanitary Building Index (ISE) was elaborated. The ISE is a weighted harmonic mean of the applicable items, which takes into account the weights given to each question and whether or not the item was compliant. The checklist responses were analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2010 and statistical analyzes were performed using the IBM® SPSS® STATISTICS version 18.0 program, adopting the 5% significance level. The main nonconformities observed were infiltrations, gutters, pipes with no adequate flow capacity, clogged sinks and siphons, few drains, floor trim, grease box, low luminosity, ventilation and thermal comfort Of the total number of units evaluated, 1 (2%) presented an excellent suitability index, 14 (27%) were adequately matched, 32 (61%) were adequately matched, and 5 were considered adequately matched. In addition to the index of adequacy to the checklist, an index of adequacy to the items required by legislation was calculated. The volume of companies that presented excellent and good levels of adequacy increased when compared to the index of adequacy to the former chek-list, passing to 4 (8%) with excellent index, 27 (51%) with good index, 20 (39 %) with average index and 1 (2%) with poor index. The results indicate that the industrial kitchens presented inadequacies in their facilities, since in their majority they presented medium or inferior indexes of adequacy to the items of the legislation and the ISE. Kitchens with these facility failures may have impaired their hygienic-sanitary conditions of the process, bringing potential risks to food production. With the identification of problems in buildings and law, it was possible to indicate solutions to contribute to the management of food safety in food services, preventing the contamination of food.

<p>  </p> <p>Dried fruits have traditionally received little food safety attention despite multiple <em>Salmonella</em> and <em>E. coli</em> outbreaks associated with low-moisture foods. Given the popularity of dried apples, many consumers produce dried apples at home. However, little is known about this niche population, their apple drying practices and their sources of food safety information. Therefore, this thesis aimed to use apple drying as a case study to i) identify the fruit drying practices in a domestic setting, ii) determine the factors influencing the associated behaviors and iii) evaluate the food safety information in fruit drying recipes.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The first two studies used quantitative methods with survey data on home apple dryers in the United States. In the first, apple drying practices were identified and evaluated for level of food safety using a safe practice index. Then, regression analyses showed the influence of demographic factors, attitudes, perceived behavioral control (PBC), subjective norms, risk perception and exposure to food safety information on selected apple drying practices. The third study was a content analysis using a qualitative approach to analyze recipe information on blogs, YouTube videos, cookbooks and university extension publications.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Findings revealed that the level of safe food handling in home apple drying was low. Home apple dryers had inadequate frequency of handwashing during apple preparation, potential points of cross-contamination from kitchen tools, a lack of hurdle technology without an apple pre-treatment step, failure to incorporate a thermal kill step during drying, and a lack of objective measurements to ensure that target parameters are attained. The investigated demographic factors, risk perception and food safety information or training had significant influence on current safe apple handling behaviors. Attitudes, PBC and subjective norms were strong predictors of behavior intention. An evaluation of apple drying recipes showed that food safety emphasis was missing. There were omission of food safety controls and a lack of standardization in the recommended procedures.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The results provided handling practice data to support the development of more accurate food safety risk assessment models, and to guide the development of food safety education for home apple dryers. It urged the need for food safety improvement not only in home apple dryers’ practices, but also the information disseminated to them.</p>

The inadequate food safety knowledge by street food vendors have been a challenge encountered in ensuring safety of street foods. The aim of this study was to assess the food safety knowledge of street food vendors in the Johannesburg metropolis and to evaluate the conformance and monitoring of their street food vending facilities in accordance to regulations governing general hygiene requirements for food premises in South Africa. A cross sectional survey was conducted in which 315 street food vendors and 155 street food vending facilities were observed using a questionnaire instrument and observational checklist, respectively. The majority (61.3%) of the street food vendors were females and most (64.1%) of them had not attended a food safety training course. Only a few (12.1%) street food vendors knew the correct minimum internal cooking temperature for stuffed chicken, while less than half knew the correct temperature for cold and hot holding of ready-to-eat foods, 40% and 39% respectively. The majority of them have never heard of Salmonella (92.7%), Campylobacter (95.2%), Listeria (57.1%), Clostridium (94.3%), or Staphylococcus (87.6%). Up to 52% street food vendors had moderate food safety knowledge. Most of the street food vending facilities (68.3%) had been inspected by health inspectors and only 17% of street food vending facilities had low level of compliance to regulations governing general hygiene requirements for food premises and the transport of food in South Africa. The overall food safety knowledge of street food vendors in Johannesburg metropolis was moderate. The level of compliance and monitoring of street food vending facilities to regulations governing general hygiene requirements for food premises in South Africa was satisfactory. Street food vendors should be trained on internal cooking temperature, hot and cold storage temperature of ready-to-eat foods, and food pathogens such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, Clostridium, and Staphylococcus / Life and Consumer Sciences / M. Cons. Sci.

Food service businesses in the United States have experienced millions of dollars in losses caused by foodborne illness outbreaks, which can lead to bankruptcy and business closures. More than 68% of all foodborne illness outbreaks occur in food service establishments. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore the strategies leaders of food service establishments use to implement food safety regulations. Force field analysis was the conceptual framework for this study. The population for the study consisted of 3 leaders of food service establishments located in the southeastern region of the United States. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of the business policies and procedures that support compliance with critical food safety regulations. The methodological triangulation approach was used to assist in correlating the interview responses with company policies and procedures during the data analysis process. Yin's 5-step data analysis approach resulted in 3 themes: (a) organizational performance analysis for improvements in food safety, (b) strategies applied to improve food safety, and (c) stability of new strategies for food safety. The key strategies identified included adhering to the guidelines of food code and regulation, conducting employee training and awareness building, and working closely with food safety inspectors. The implications for positive social change include the potential to add knowledge to businesses, employees, and communities on the use of effective food safety strategies to minimize foodborne illnesses. Such results may lead to the improvement of service performance and long-term growth and sustainability of food service establishments.

<p dir="ltr">This thesis explores consumers' knowledge, perceptions, and handling practices of tree nuts through needs assessments to collect data for the development of tree nut food safety education materials.</p>

<p>While fresh vegetables (FVs) consumption is essential for public health, some high-profile outbreaks that cause severe illnesses are related to their consumption. To illustrate, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has estimated 48 million cases of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. per year; of them, about 46% are associated with FVs. The economic impact of food safety issues, estimated at $51 billion annually, is due to medical costs, productivity losses, and loss of consumer trust (Hoffman et al., 2021). </p> <p>The proliferation of risk mitigation methods (GAP, HACCP), food safety policies (FSMA), and information (labels, media, government) out in the market today, suggests that the way consumers understand food safety might be different from what policymakers, researchers, and retailers try to communicate. In addition, consumers' heterogeneous perceptions and beliefs can make communication with policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders ineffective when assessing food safety risks. </p> <p>Given the high demand for FVs and the communication mismatch with consumers, it is crucial to understand how consumers value food safety when purchasing FVs. This study clustered FVs consumers based on their food safety concerns. First, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified the most relevant food safety dimensions. Later, using the food safety dimensions, this study segmented FVs consumers based on their food safety concerns. Finally, through a Multinomial Probit model (MNP), this study provided the main factors driving cluster membership.</p> <p>Our results suggest the existence of four segments of FVs consumers: “Worriers” (45% of our sample), who highly valued all the food safety characteristics when buying FVs. “Labelers” (20.3% of our sample) mainly valued attributes related to nutritional and environmental characteristics. “Pretty Vegetables” (17.3% of our sample) searched for the best and safest produce possible. Lastly, “DIYers” (17.3% of our sample) valued the least variables related to convenience in FVs. Finally, some of the main drivers of cluster membership were related to demographics, consumption, information sources, and perceptions about food safety of FVs consumers. These results can help policymakers, researchers, and retailers communicate food safety information more efficiently among different segments of consumers.</p>

Doctor of Philosophy / Food Science Institute -- Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology / David G. Renter / Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157 are important causes of foodborne illness in humans and have been associated with the consumption of undercooked, contaminated beef. Individual feedlot cattle may shed these organisms in their feces and subsequently contaminate cattle hides and carcasses at harvest. Preharvest and harvest interventions may significantly decrease the risk of beef contamination and subsequent risk of human illness. Previous research suggests that preharvest interventions for Salmonella or E. coli O157 may compliment harvest interventions and reduce the risk of carcass contamination. In my research, I used diverse study designs to develop a better understanding of the epidemiology of Salmonella and E. coli O157 and evaluate the impact of specific preharvest interventions in commercial feedlot cattle. A randomized controlled trial indicated that a commercially available vaccine did not affect the fecal prevalence of Salmonella, or health and performance of cohorts of feedlot cattle. However, the fecal prevalence of Salmonella varied by cohort, suggesting cattle source as a risk factor. In a repeated cross-sectional study, the fecal prevalence of Salmonella in cattle at feedlot arrival was not associated with the prevalence immediately prior to harvest, yet specific Salmonella subtypes, as defined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), persisted throughout the feeding period. Another of my studies defined and compared PFGE subtypes of E. coli O157 isolated from cattle feces and carcass samples at harvest to determine relationships between fecal shedding and carcass contamination. Truckload appeared to be an important factor, and feces from cattle shedding both high- and low-concentrations of E. coli O157 posed a risk for carcass contamination. A stochastic Monte-Carlo modeling framework was later used to assess the impact of seasonal fecal prevalence and combinations of preharvest interventions on the risk of carcass contamination with E. coli O157. Results indicated that it may be important to incorporate multiple preharvest interventions, especially during periods of high fecal prevalence of E. coli O157. Overall, the research described in this dissertation demonstrates that multiple risk factors and interventions at the cohort level must be considered in order to mitigate the risks associated with Salmonella and E. coli O157 in beef production systems.